In the women’s gymnastics vault final, North Korean gymnast An Chang Ok was caught on camera passing by South Korean gymnast Yeo Seo Jeong without acknowledging her.
Eight athletes competed in the gymnastics vault final at the Paris Olympics, which took place on Saturday at the Paris Bercy Arena. Yeo finished in 7th place, while An secured 2nd place.
An, who performed first, shared a joyful hug with her coach before taking her place and exchanged greetings with Bulgarian gymnast Valentina Georgieva.
After the competition, Yeo, who had watched from the sidelines, stood up to congratulate An. However, An passed her by and instead embraced another North Korean coach.
Once seated again, Yeo looked momentarily perplexed but soon managed to smile at the coach beside her.
Audiences who saw the video responded with comments such as, “This scene vividly portrays the atmosphere within the North Korean team, where expressions remain stifled,” “It’s disheartening to witness how our shared ethnicity is handled in this manner,” and “Despite the circumstances, the emotions of both athletes were palpable. It was a poignant moment of both sadness and warmth.”
In a post-competition interview, Yeo cautiously commented on An’s dismissal of her greeting, stating, “I wanted to shake hands since we are competing together, but I think my timing was just off.”
Meanwhile, neither athlete secured a medal, with An finishing in fourth place and Yeo in seventh.